Last year, Sega of Japan announced a “Sega X Love Live” cross-promotional campaign wherein Love Live’s Rin Hoshizora would occasionally be used to promote Sega franchises. The campaign has already been put to work, with a handful of media featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and Rin making use of this promotion.
However, a new page for this promotion was created earlier this year, asking for input on a specific franchise (among a set of choices) that would crossover with Rin for promotional purposes. One known result for the winner: a special graphical illustration featuring Rin and the winning title. The choices were:
- Yakuza
- Puyo Puyo
- Border Break
- Chain Chronicle
- Space Channel 5
- Virtua Fighter
- Wonderland Wars
Some current results for the poll were recently announced, and Puyo Puyo is currently in the lead. I can’t help but wonder how interesting it would be to have Rin help promote Yakuza or Virtua Fighter. In addition, that Space Channel 5 was a selectable option is a pleasant surprise, considering the franchise’s inactivity. If the results skew more favorably for Space Channel 5, it might suggest the desire for another Space Channel 5-related initiative. Or, to be more optimistic, perhaps the franchise being mentioned at all might portend good things. Let’s hope Space Channel 5 being featured in the SeHa Girls anime is the start of something more for the franchise!
In any case, Puyo Puyo was followed by Yakuza and Chain Chronicle in the polling results. Off of the heels of the Puyo Puyo play, it’s nice to see the franchise receiving continued attention in Japan. But of course, the polling’s not over yet – it closes on May 31st.